Travelogue of Changhai
DAY1: The flight from Beijing to Dalian is an hour and a half, not tiring at all—the kind where you take off and land before you know it. But our destination wasn't just Dalian; it was Changhai, an island county of Dalian.
Changhai is made up of many islands: Changshan Island, Zhangzi Island, Haiyang Island, and so on. Travel between these islands is by boat. So arriving in Dalian was just the beginning; we still had to take a ferry.
After landing at Dalian Airport, our driver picked us up and drove us to Pikou Port. Boats to Dachangshan Island run every morning and afternoon from here. Our driver stepped on the gas to help us catch an earlier boat.
Little Whale was taking a boat for the first time. Facing the vast ocean, she was both curious and a bit scared.
After a 45-minute boat ride, we arrived at Dachangshan Island, where the county government of Changhai is located, facing Xiaochangshan Island across the sea.
A cross-sea bridge connects the two islands, so we took a taxi from the port on Dachangshan Island to check into Haishan Island Hotel. After lunch at the hotel, we took a short rest.
The hotel staff proudly mentioned that their hand-brewed coffee and latte art, paired with their homemade scones, were really good. The hotel had great views, with a sea-view terrace and a sea-view pool.
That evening we took a taxi to a barbecue place recommended by locals on Dachangshan Island for seafood barbecue, indulging our seafood cravings.
(↑ The hungry duo)
DAY2: Our morning destination was Xiaoshui Kou Forest Park on Xiaochangshan Island.
Although it's called a forest park, the sea views were truly the highlight.
Here, the azure waters of Changhai, the奇特礁石, and the scattered islands were all in full view. The early autumn sea breeze was still a bit warm. For visitors to enjoy the scenery, the park built long wooden boardwalks with signs marking various sights along the way.
At the end of the boardwalk was a glass-bottomed path, where you could look down at the waves crashing against the rocks below. We thought Little Whale would be especially scared, but to our surprise, she happily ran back and forth on the glass path more than a dozen times.
The coastal road on Dachangshan Island is very famous. If you like cycling, this is absolutely the perfect place. You can rent bicycles by the seaside; a family of three can rent one with a canopy.
Back at the hotel, we played in the seaside pool and watched the sunset.
DAY3: We set off by boat again, this time from Dachangshan Island to Guanglu Island, another 45-minute ride.
This time we checked into a five-star hotel: Discoveryland – Haichang Guanglu Island Hotel. The architecture of this hotel was very distinctive, like a castle, looking quite fairytale-like from afar. The facilities inside were also great; the family room had a children's play area, a small tent, and a thoughtful child-sized toilet—very convenient and perfect for a family of three on vacation.
The hotel also had its own private pool, where Little Whale happily played in the water while we happily played on our phones.
In the morning, we went tide-pooling on the rocky beach next to the hotel. A professional guide joined us with nets, fishing rods, and bait to help us harvest. The guide's hands were nimble, constantly catching small crabs, fish, and starfish; we, on the other hand, struggled for a long time to catch just one or two crabs.
Little Whale was especially happy and got excited whenever anyone caught something.
In the afternoon, we took a boat out to see the strange rocks. Sailing southwest of Guanglu Island, two large stones standing in the sea slowly appeared in the distance. One, from afar, looked like a giant standing on the sea; the captain said it was General Rock. The other was called Horse-Man Rock, but Qiao Qiao and I both thought it looked more like a stone lion. Getting closer, we realized these two rocks were actually very tall.
Rising and falling with the waves, we admired the strange rocks and the wild geese in the sky until the sun slowly set—very pleasant.
Dinner was even more sumptuous. We ate the first batch of fresh seafood after the fishing season started. They were still swimming in the sea early in the morning and were served on our table at night, allowing us to feast to our hearts' content.
DAY4: Reluctantly, we took the boat back from Guanglu Island to Dalian. The trip went smoothly all the way to the airport, where we flew back to Beijing. Bidding farewell to our Changhai trip, we felt that our child had grown even more and was happier, and Qiao Qiao and I also left with beautiful seaside memories.
